Meet the Mastermind Behind the ‘M3GAN’ Dance – Them
We’re only a few weeks into 2023, but this year has already gifted us an instantly iconic horror girlie. I’m talking, of course, about M3GAN, the AI-powered killer doll at the center of Universal’s wildly successful film of the same name about a robotics engineer who creates an android companion for her orphaned niece.
As soon as the first M3GAN trailer dropped last October, she instantly became the gay internet’s latest obsession. And how could she not? With her merciless one-liners, penchant for pop remixes, and runway-inspired look, I’ll be crushed if M3GAN doesn’t inspire a thousand Halloween costumes and drag looks.
But it was M3GAN’s dance moves that instantly launched her to social media stardom on TikTok and beyond. During a particularly memorable moment from the film’s trailer, she zeroes in on her victim, a conceited toy company CEO played by Ronny Chieng. Before going in for the kill, she launches into a mesmerizing dance complete with twirls, a wall pose, and even an aerial cartwheel. The heavily memed routine quickly blew up on TikTok, where the hashtag #m3gandance has over 253.5 million views as of this writing.
Where did this dance come from? It’s hard to imagine M3GAN without it, but it turns out the dance was a late addition to the film, included at the suggestion of director Gerard Johnstone. And it was New Zealand-based dance teacher and choreographer Kylie Norris who crafted M3GAN’s iconic moves, performed to perfection by her student, 12-year-old actress Amie Donald, who plays the doll in live-action.
“I think it all started because Amie and her mum were asked where Amie learned her skills,” Norris, who runs Norris Studios with her mother Carolyn, tells Them. “And they mentioned that they had trained solely with myself and my faculty at my dance studio.”
Prior to filming M3GAN, Norris had taught Donald for years. In 2019, Norris accompanied a then-9-year-old Donald to the Dance World Cup in Portugal, where she took home a silver and a bronze medal, becoming the first New Zealander to ever do so.
Donald’s gift for movement is on full display throughout M3GAN, and not just in the memorable trailer moment. The decorated young dancer perfectly captures the poise and precision of her robotic counterpart. With the voice of 18-year-old actress Jenna Davis layered on top of Donald’s mechanical gestures, the effect is uncanny, bringing the doll to eerie life.